2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Bernie has NO detailed plans! Grand ideas but no substance. [View all]senz
(11,945 posts)1) Negotiate A Better Deal. Require Medicare to use its bargaining power to negotiate with the prescription drug companies for better prices a practice that is currently banned by law. Not only would negotiation substantially reduce prices seniors and people with disabilities pay for drugs, it could save Medicare between $230 billion to $541 billion dollars over the next decade.
2) Import Prescriptions from Canada. Allow individuals, pharmacists, and wholesalers to import prescription drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies.
Prohibit the United States from agreeing to provisions in international trade deals that would raise drug prices in the United States or extend the monopoly period when a brand name drug company has no generic competition.
Suspend the governments authority to destroy packages of imported drugs at the border until new legislation is passed ensuring that Americans can import safe and affordable drugs from Canada.
3) Restore Discounts for Low-Income Seniors.
Close the Medicare Part D donut hole for brand and generic drugs by 2017, three years earlier than under current law.
Require generic drug companies to pay an additional rebate to Medicaid if their drug prices rise faster than inflation.
Restore Medicare prescription drug discounts for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
4) Prohibit Deals that Keep Generic Drugs Off the Market. Prohibit anti-competitive deals pay-for-delay deals between brand and generic drug makers.
5) Enact Stronger Penalties for Fraud. Terminate exclusivitya government-awarded monopoly periodfrom a drug company convicted of fraud.
6) Require Pricing and Cost Transparency.
Require drug companies to publicly report information that affects drug pricing.
Under the Sanders plan, drug makers would be required to report certain price information to the federal government and the public on their products, including the total expenditures on research and development and clinical trials, as well as the portion of their drug development expenses offset by tax credits or paid for by federal grants.
Companies would also be required to report not only the price information charged to federal payers, such as Medicare, but would also have to submit price, profit, and sales information for other countries in which the drug is sold.
https://berniesanders.com/issues/fighting-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices/